Woman bares extra skin, goes viral after losing over 130 pounds

Shawna Reding, KVUE2:02 PM. MDT May 11, 2017

Along with the photo, she said on Instagram, "The excess skin is real, but that's what you get when you've lost 130lbs. Anyways, this post isn't about my skin, it's about the fact that my husband can pick me up!" (Photo: Jordan Kirkham)

That's what Jordan Kirkham's husband whispered to her when they were in a swimming pool and he picked her up to carry her toward the stairs of the pool and out of the water. Kirkham asked her mother-in-law if she could take a picture of the moment to share with her followers on social media who have been following along with her weight loss journey. She's lost a significant amount of weight, and has the extra skin to show for her progress.

Along with the photo, she said on Instagram, "The excess skin is real, but that's what you get when you've lost 130lbs. Anyways, this post isn't about my skin, it's about the fact that my husband can pick me up!"

That post went viral overnight on Instagram. With over 48,000 likes, her followers shot up by 10,000. KVUE reached out to her after she tagged KVUE in the post. Her journey has not been easy.

In January of 2015, Kirkham of Bastrop, Texas said some family members were posting pictures from over the holidays. She said that's when she decided her lifestyle needed to change.

"The one that got me was I was sitting on a full sized couch and I was taking up two cushions! I cried," Kirkham told KVUE.
(Photo: Jordan Kirkham)

"The one that got me was I was sitting on a full sized couch and I was taking up two cushions! I cried," Kirkham told KVUE. "I knew I had to change for myself, but my main motivation was our son. I wanted to be able to play with him, do activities with him and be in his life as long as possible."

She said she's been overweight all her life, but when she got pregnant in 2013, that's when she "let my cravings take control." She weighed over 310 pounds and avoided the scale at all costs.

Kirkham said her son was her main motivator for losing weight.
(Photo: Jordan Kirkham)

So she started to change her eating habits and found exercises on Pinterest that she could do around her house. It's nothing fancy, she said. She eats the same thing every day -- eggs for breakfast, chicken or tuna and mayo for lunch and a chicken breast or salad for dinner.

"I've learned to eat to fuel my body opposed to eating for pleasure," Kirkham said. "Don't get me wrong -- I still get cravings but you just have to push through them."

After going viral on Instagram, she's had positive feedback. She's also gotten some flak for exposing her excess skin.

"... I could care less. I was over the moon that my husband can pick me up," Kirkham said. "You can see how happy we are in the picture. But for every negative comment said there were 50 positive and loving messages sent out to us, and that outweighed any ugly thing anyone else had to say. I would love to have the excess skin removed one day, but for now, I'm so very proud of myself for coming this far in my journey."